Witch Hunter
by 1Kimmy101
Summary: The world has left Lelouch behind. After escaping from the coffin that has trapped him for so long, Lelouch fervently searches for the one person who can make things better. C.C... I'll hunt you down and never let you go again. LelouchXC.C. Collaboration between 1Kimmy101 & Phr33k.
1. Prologue

**1Kimmy101-A/N: collaboration fanfic with Phr33k. Not my usual thing, but take a look at it anyways:) btw if you haven't watched code geass, you should, it's fantastic. **

**Phr33k- A/N: Yea... I'm pretty excited about this fanfic. I look forward to your feedback on this. And really, regarding Kimmy's A/N. If you haven't watched Code Geass YOU SHOULD NOT BE READING THIS. Really. If you haven't FINISHED it, you should, because of spoilers.  
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**Disclaimer: we do not in any way own code geass.**

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Prologue

Day 1:

The afterlife I had awoken to seemed to be dark. There was not a hint of light to be seen anywhere. Was this my punishment? To exist forevermore in this eternal darkness, never to see my loved ones ever again? I had looked forward to seeing them again after my death. Shirley, Rolo, Euphemia. Others as well. The innocents I had killed, even my dear deluded mother, Marianne. Perhaps I'd even hoped to see Charles as well. I wonder if they'd be proud of me, of the world I'd created. I wonder if they'd forgive me. I wonder what could've been if I hadn't been Zero. It's far too late to regret now. I close my eyes prepared to atone for my sins in this everlasting prison.

Day 2:

Things are not as I thought they were. I can still feel the burden of my human body. I ache everywhere. I can hear my own ragged breathing, I smell my own body odour, my blood, and the disgusting stench of my feces. If I attempt to reach out, I will touch a wall that I cannot see, due to this accursed darkness. As each second passes, I'm more assured that I am alive, buried in my own coffin, six feet under. I must have inherited the code from my dead father. Soon, I will run out of air. Already I can hear myself wheezing and gasping for air, my body contorting and writhing. I am vaguely aware of blood and grazed skin where my body has hit against my wooden jail in desperation.

Ah…

Finally I have run out of air.

Intense pain ensues.

I think my vision is dimming, but I can't really tell.

I suppose it doesn't matter. It'd be dark either way.

Day 3:

It's a funny, albeit painful feeling, trying to suck in air when there isn't any. I've lost count of how many times I have died and resurrected. All I am aware of is the sheer pain of it all.

I've learnt to look forward to my death.

It is the only time I am given a break from this vicious cycle of agony. I never asked for this. If only I had really died the moment Suzaku ran me through with that pink sword I had sharpened for the occasion. If only I had never inherited the Code. If only… If only…

It should be about time for another death. Quick! Come! Let me die! Let me escape from this unbearable pain!

I attempt one more desperate gasp for air before my consciousness fades.

Day 1733:

It hurts…

It hurts…

Day 2019:

Please… Let it all end…

Day 3003:

…

Day 4164:

I would not have thought it possible, but the pain has faded. Or rather, I have grown used to this pain that no one should ever have to suffer through. Recently, when I am alive, I have filled my thoughts with Nunnaly. How are you doing now? Do you enjoy this peaceful world I have left behind for you? What is it like, looking at this world through your eyes?

Have you forgotten me? I fervently hope that you have. Enjoy your world without war. Forget me and live in happiness. With these last thoughts I fall back into the quiet comfort of death.

Day 7502:

Are you still alive Nunnaly? It feels as though a thousand years have passed me by in this coffin. Everyone I know may already be dead. Nunnaly… Suzaku… Kallen… Millay… Rivalz… Nina… Jeremiah… Ohgi… Todoh… Everyone… Of course, there is one exception. My accomplice. C.C.

You have shouldered the same curse I have for uncountable years. Years you have existed through this false life. Life without death is not life but mere experience. I think I can understand these words a bit better now. C.C

C.C. … C.C. … C.C. …

Her face is the last thing in my head as I slip into the abyss once more.

Day 28, 674:

It seems that my ability to ignore the pain of suffocation is not without its costs. Now, I can feel the terrible thirst and the horrible hunger which comes along with many years of malnourishment. Malnourishment. Hmph. What an understatement. More than the hunger and thirst though, is my growing sense of boredom and frustration. How I long for the world outside. I want to see Nunnaly… I want to see C.C.

I want to see everyone.

I wonder if anyone wants to see me.

I wonder if I deserve to see them.

Day 32, 892:

The world is shaking.

It's rocking, like a drunken bull on steroids. Like a ship in the midst of a powerful whirlpool. It was as if God had decided to make the Earth His playing ball and had decided to play volleyball… The last analogy seemed a little farfetched… But coming up with useless and crazy analogies help me kill time.

There have been many earthquakes during my imprisonment. Area 11… No, Japan… is a magnet for natural disasters after all. There has never been an earthquake quite as strong as this though. If Nunnaly is still alive, I hope she is safe.

I am jostled around by my shaking coffin.

Ah… it seems that all this excitement is killing me faster. It is almost time…

*CRACK*

A new unfamiliar sound reaches my ears. The darkness recedes, and for the first time I can see how the box I lived in for the past… undefined period of time looked like. Certainly well designed. Suitably appropriate for the last resting place of the Demon King. A tiny crack turns into a larger crack, and more light streams in.

A cooling sensation licks my face. What is this? I breathe in, and suddenly my lungs sing in joy. The ever-present pain has subsided, and I feel a thousand times lighter.

Air.

I can't get enough of it! A sweet miracle! Why did I ever take air, breathing for granted! It feels so good to breathe! I don't know how long I lie there savoring the air, but eventually I try to force myself out of the wooden casket that has contained me for so long. I push apart the rotting lid with a high like any other. I was finally getting out! I was getting out.

That eternal hell was over.

My head and shoulder emerges out into the surface, I attempt to stand and I realize with a fall.

I've forgotten how to use my legs. My muscles haven't weakened, that's impossible with the code. My body has just temporarily forgotten how to function outside of that dark coffin.

I stumble up, tripping over myself a couple of times, but moving becomes manageable. Looking around, I pay attention to my surroundings for the first time. I'm on the remains of an isolated hillside. Strewn clumps of grass and earth lie around me. A great oak tree, upheaved is merely five metres away from me. Insects of all shapes and sizes crawl around beautiful flowers. Some flowers are dead, but most still live and provide an intense plethora of colours .

Casting my eyes upwards I see the night sky. Small pinpricks of light blind me. A sliver of moonlight dazzles me. Dazed, I feel a strange wetness come from my eyes.

The tall, lonely figure on the ruined hill slowly sunk down to his knees, tears dripped down his face, and moistened the ground below him. The figure stayed in the same posture until dawn broke. Then the figure slowly stood, with a newfound purpose and fire in his eyes. Lelouch Vi Brittania… No… Lelouch Lamperouge had miraculously escaped from his buried hell. Against all odds he had lived. And he was going to make the most of it.

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**A/N: Reviews please!:) It will help us make this ff better! Constructive criticism welcomed! Flames ignored. THANKS. XD**


	2. New World

**A/N-Phr33k:Yo! Glad to see the friendly reception this story has gotten so far! I've really enjoyed writing this chapter. Now, thanks to the 'guest' who left us some nice constructive comments for us to improve this story. Thanks to every1 else who reviewed. It really made me happy to see all these great reviews! No flames yet! Thank God! Some1 mentioned that we used bad maths and that Lelouch should have suffocated in the first 1 1/2 hour. You r right. Our bad. Let's just say that since not much are known about the code bearers, they are more resilient and can survive on low levels of oxygen! Yeah! Now that the convenient excuse was made up on with the story!**

**A/N-1Kimmy101: Working on this chapter was a pain. To say I worked would be an understatement... because i hardly worked:P haha working with this guy is a even larger pain^^ omg... he is usually NOT this chipper. Life is pain. Lelouch can understand me. Thanks for the reviews, you know i love y'all (heart)**

Disclaimer: Code Geass = not ours:P

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Chapter 2: New World

Red rimmed eyes gazed dully into intense violet ones.

"I have provided you with adequate amounts of food and drink. I have also prepared the clothing you requested. All that is left is to go on with my life and completely ignore your existence right?"

"Yes. That will be all." Lelouch replied casually, flipping a page of the newspaper he was currently reading. In front of him was a small wooden table, heavily laden with now-empty plates and cups. Kneeling before him was a plain looking middle aged man with thinning hair.

"I understand… Then…" Suddenly, the man snapped out of his trance and looked hurriedly at the cheap second hand wristwatch around his left wrist. "What? When did it get this late? I have to hurry or I'll be late! My boss is gonna kill me!"

As the man hurried out of his home, Lelouch continued to stare at the newspaper, his brows furrowed in thought. Around him, various newspapers that were written in the past 30 years were scattered in disorderly piles. He had managed to read roughly 23% of them. Many more articles could be found on the net, including some of the older hard to find news he wanted to read. Unfortunately, the man he had Geassed was old-fashioned enough not to use the Internet. Of all the bad luck… He would have to find some other way of accessing the web later.

When he'd first saw the date on today's news, he'd been shocked to realize only 90 years had passed. He had spent 90 years within that wretched coffin. 90 years… Most, if not all of his past friends and family would be dead by now. From the papers he'd read, he learnt that Empress Nunnaly had been a fair and just ruler. She had dedicated her life to serving the people. Those who lived under Brittanian rule had sung their empress praises. Lelouch could not have been more proud of his little sister. Zero he'd also learned, was also around, currently attending a meeting in the South of China. He doubted it was still Suzaku behind the mask, and society seemed to think the same. There had been much speculation as to when exactly the switch had occurred as well as the resting place of the first Zero. How ironic. He thought with a smirk.

Based on what he'd read, the world at large was still at peace. It was nice to see that his sacrifice had not been in vain. So, what would the great Demon King do now? All his friends with the exception of C.C were probably dead. Would he create a new life with new happy memories for himself? He could experience something similar to his joyful experience at Ashford Academy. He could be a teenager again… This time, he wouldn't have to shoulder the burden of the world that came with wearing the mask of Zero. He could seek a genuine exciting experience in high school again…

But that was just it. Any experience like that wouldn't be genuine. It would be fake. He would have to fake his identity. He would have to fake a new persona. He would make fake friends who didn't know who he truly was. He would have to lie to everyone around him. He didn't mind lying. He knew, more than most, that people lie when they yearn for something. When people don't strive for what they want, for a better future, the world becomes stagnant and dull. The future was the very thing he had fought for! But even so, Lelouch wanted a peaceful life, where he could experience and search for things he wanted to do. Impossible if he were to seek a new high school life. He wouldn't lie, he couldn't. Not again.

He would start searching for C.C. She was the only one Lelouch could be with without having to. He could still remember his painful and lonely isolation underground. Yet it had only been 90 years. A blink in the eye to someone like C.C. How had she survived? How had she coped with the immense sorrow of loneliness? He could understand now her wish to die. Immortality was truly a curse. But a curse would be easier to bear if another shouldered its weight.

'C.C., where are you?' He thought, closing his eyes whilst simultaneously tilting his head up. 'Are you lonely C.C.? What have you been doing for 90 years?' His mind recalled her cascading green locks, her golden orbs.

'Do you miss me C.C.?'

'I miss you.'

Lelouch clenched his fist. He would find her, so that neither of them would have to suffer through this solitude ever again. He would find her and never let her go.

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'A-choo!' Sneezed Luigi's green-haired customer as she reached for her usual, extra large peperoni with extra cheese. She'd been coming to this little pizzeria for 2 months straight now. She certainly didn't look Italian, but her accent was perfect.

"You want drinks with that?" he asked, like he always did.

"No," came the usual answer. Her face blank and impassive as always.

Luigi smiled at her. She may have looked cold and emotionless, but Luigi knew that deep down she was a good girl. He always had the feel for people. He knew the difference between a bad and good egg. And this girl was definitely not a bad egg. He wondered what could have happened to her to make her this way. A tragedy perhaps.

Looking down at the golden ring that adorned his ring finger, Luigi chuckled silently to himself. Why, if he wasn't married and twenty years younger he may have decided to court her! Maybe that was what she needed. Perhaps he could introduce her to someone! His son was already engaged, but his nephew was handsome enough…

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Lelouch was a tactical genius. He, like his brother Schneizel, was a one in a million years prodigy. He knew there was no point in combing the world for an immortal witch who was supposed to have disappeared. If C.C. didn't want to be found, he would have a hard time trying to find her. Yet Lelouch spent hours scouring the net for any traces of C.C.

"And this function here allows you to…" Lelouch nodded absentmindedly at the Geassed teen next to him, teaching him at the new marvelous technology the world had to offer. In hindsight, it was really lucky he still had Geass. It made everything much more convenient. Lelouch had come up with several theories as to why this was the case. The most plausible one was that the Code C.C bore was still with her, and thus still provided him with the Geass. The Code he had received was from the former Emperor Charles. Thus the Geass was retained.

It seemed that no traces of C.C could be found. Lelouch sighed. At least it meant that C.C had hidden herself well enough. He had been worried that C.C had been caught and punished by those who opposed the Demon Emperor. Lelouch did not have the ability to hunt C.C. down. Instead…

Lelouch cackled in a dramatic manner. The geassed teenage boy paid no heed. The blue haired waitress standing over his table sweatdropped.

"Sir? Would you like sugar with that coffee? Sir?" Lelouch, too caught up with his diabolical schemes ignored her. She frowned.

"What about you sir?" The geassed teenage boy merely shot her a glare that would have instantly slaughtered her if looks could kill.

"Do not interrupt me! I must instruct Lelouch-sama!" he cried out, slamming his fist on the wooden table, shaking the coffee in its cup.

"Of course sir" The poor waitress gave an awkward laugh, inching away until she was far away enough to scuttle off without catching attention. Why did she always serve the weird customers?

Lelouch got up from his table, and left the internet café. The geassed teenage boy followed, continuing to talk about the wonderful new technology on cellphones, showing his own as an example

It was simple. If Lelouch could not find C.C., he would get C.C to find him. First though, he would have to send a message to her, to inform her that he still lived. Lelouch didn't know where C.C was, but that wouldn't be much of a problem. All he had to do was to create an event that would catch and hold the attention of the entire world. At the same time, he would have to conceal a message in the event that only C.C would understand. It was no big deal. He had captivated the world before. It would be easy compared to taking over the world. A sinister grin filled his face. Lelouch laughed to himself as he slowly melted into the busy streets of Kyoto.

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In a private room, not too far away from Lelouch's current location, Zero knelt before an old man. A man, once youthful and powerful, was now weak, covered with wrinkles. He was overly thin, his eyes were sunken. But his spirit was still strong and his eyes burned with life.

"Master, I have returned from my business abroad in China" Zero snapped the old man out of his thoughts.

"Good job Ke… I mean Zero." The old man's brilliant green eyes twinkled as he looked down on his young protégé. "Stand! Stand! There's no need to be so formal with me!"

Zero stood, somewhat reluctantly.

"You have done very, very well Zero. I can relax, knowing that you will successfully carry on the legacy of Zero..." he let out a resigned sigh.

"It's a miracle that you've even lived this long. You truly are a man of miracles," Zero said.

"More of a curse than a miracle," the old man muttered to himself, his eyes flickering red.

"Zero-sama?"

"I am no longer Zero. You are now." The old man smiled at him, "You may go now."

Zero bowed, and left.

Kururugi Suzaku stared upwards, reminiscing a time long past. "I've fulfilled my promise to you… Lelouch."

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**A/N: so review! and thanks!**

**BTW give us some ideas on the new technology please:)**


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